If you follow celebrities and their fitness routines, say "Thank You" to Darren Capik

If you've ever lost weight, got on a fitness routine, or shed those last few inches with a celebrity fitness  program, chances are you have Darren Capik to thank.

Capik is CEO of Watch It Now Entertainment (WIN), an integrated marketing and branding company, which is marketing-speak for the idea team behind celebrities looking to make a name for themselves.

As nice as it would be to think those videos, magazine covers, TV appearances, articles, and fitness DVDs  just "happen," in fact, coordinating and managing all that takes a lot of work.  WIN does that work for clients like Bob Harper, Jane Fonda, Billy Blanks, Richard Simmons, Kim Kardashian, Julianne Hough, Brooke Burke, Sting and Trudie Styler, Tara Stiles, Deepak Chopra, and more. So many more.

You can read Jane Fonda blogging about working with Capik and a picture of the two of them together.

Capik runs the ONLY one of its kind - full service fitness and health media company that makes everything happen when it comes to  marketing and PR.

It's a pretty cool gig, and I'm happy that he allowed me to publish these tips on getting fit. I'm assuming these are tips he's picked up from his various clients, and the best thing is that none of them are really tough to do.  Who knows. If you follow them, maybe one day you'll be one of his celebrity clients too. 

Ready? Set? How to get fit for summer now.

With summer around the corner, Darren Capik, CEO of Watch It Now Entertainment (WIN) and producer of countless workout DVDs including Bob Harper, Jane Fonda, Billy Blanks, Richard Simmons, Kim Kardashian, Julianne Hough, Brooke Burke, Tara Stiles, Deepak Chopra, George St Pierre and Carmen Electra, has provided fitness and nutrition tips to help prepare everyone for the summer months ahead. Capik has compiled top tips from countless fitness authorities that he has worked with and a few from his expertise as well.

Top fitness and nutrition tips:

• Get creative. Busy at work? Change your social and eating habits to promote healthy lifestyle changes. Instead of eating a heavy lunch, pack lunch or a snack and go for a walk on your lunch break. Snack on fruit or veggies or drink a protein shake while enjoying a brisk walk. Break the stressful workday and feel refreshed and invigorated in the afternoon.
• Plan your meals ahead of time. Plan meals a week in advance so that you have adequate time to grocery shop and have fresh, healthy foods available instead of scrounging up what you have in your refrigerator at the last minute and facing the problem of not having all necessary ingredients.
• Eat 5 – 6 small meals a day rather than 2 – 3 big meals. Each meal should have 200 – 400 calories and contain carbs and protein.
• Schedule exercise dates with a friend or family member in advance so you cannot skip out at the last minute.
• Relax in the sun. When you have downtime try to spend as much time as you can in the sun. The sun does wonders for our bodies; it can cure diseases, replenish your vitamin D stores and make you feel good.
• Commit to cardio. There are many options to choose from cycling, running, cardio machines at the gym and group fitness classes, just to name a few.
• Write out a plan and take photos of yourself. When starting your fitness regimen, write down exactly what you plan to accomplish and what types of exercises you plan on doing. Take photos of yourself and record your initial weight and continue to do this each week.
• Get outside and exercise. Bike, rollerblade, walk the dog or walk around the neighborhood, getting some fresh air as you exercise.



WIN helped Kim Kardashian brand herself with her "Fit In Your Jeans by Friday" DVD

Bay Area Bike to Work 2012 - behind the scenes of the video

An interesting press release came through the wires today about the video being used to promote the 2012 Bay Area Bike to Work Day May 10, 2012.  Also Read: Bike to Work 2012 call goes out to employers

I'm editing it down, but thought I'd share both the info and the video here: 

•  The San Francisco Bay Area’s 18^th Annual Bike to Work Day’s video is being broadcast to 2M+ Twitter followers
• The video was produced by Beyond Pix and Emmy award winning director, Tony Welch
• Cameo appearances by notable bay area residents gets the message of bicycling out to a broad base of riders from competitive to casual to newbie. Veronica Belmont, technology and gaming-centric video host, makes a guest appearance in the video to show her support for bicycling.
• Other appearances include Evan Bailyn, bestselling author of Outsmarting Google; Tammy Camp, a well-known private equity adviser, described by Forbes as the "Lara Croft of the web"; Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Principal Environmental Planner, Joseph Steinberger; and Scientist Darya Pino, whose website, Summer Tomato, was named by TIME magazine as a top healthy eating website in 2011. Also Read: Profile of a biking commuter: Carl Guardino CEO Silicon Valley Leadership Group
• Additional appearances by Maggie Mason, author of No one cares what you had for lunch: 100 ideas for your blog, publisher of Mighty Girl and co-founder of Mighty Events; Chris Baty, motivational speaker and author of No Plot? No Problem!; and rounding it off, Joh Rathbun, a sports and travel writer and professional mountain bike rider.
• The song used in the video is produced by Mixman Shawn and performed by Giju John, an award winning recording artist and former world champion Salsa dancer featured on ESPN. John lends his voice to ‘The Cycle Beat’ alongside newcomer, Rebecca Dharmapalan, and rapper, Jaz.

Here's the video - I can't imagine why it is titled 2026, but so be it.

Ready? It's Retro Day at Squaw, April 14, 2012

This Saturday, April 14, Squaw Valley is hosting the resort’s annual Retro Ski Day complete with Retro Pool Party, live music on the KT Base Bar and a free Hot Doggin’ Clinic with Jonny Moseley and three-time freestyle ballet world champion Bob Howard.

Jeff Engerbretson. Shot April 12, 2012 at Squaw.

Apparently the ski gods love the idea, because the alert that came out on April 12 announced that the current storm has already delivered 20 inches of snow to Squaw, with over 3 feet expected to fall by Saturday morning. The resorts have received over 17 feet of snow since March 1 – which is more snow than either resort had received prior to that date.

Jeff Engerbretson. Shot April 12, 2012 at Squaw.

At Retro Day, guests are encouraged to dig deep in their closets for the annual ode to Squaw Valley’s glorious roots. 

At High Camp, skiers can meet up with Jonny Moseley and three-time freestyle ski ballet world champion Bob Howard from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. for a FREE, truly retro Hot Dog Freestyle and Ski Ballet Clinic. Learn the classic crossover and see if you have what it takes to land a tip roll. After attempting some hot doggin’ with the masters, stop by the High Camp Pool and Hot Tub for the Retro Pool Party with DJ Zeb from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Following a truly righteous day on the slopes – skiers and riders can head down to the KT Base Bar to enjoy live music from The Nibblers from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and $3 Coors specials for everyone in retro gear. 


Retro Ski Day Event Schedule:

12 p.m. to 3 p.m. FREE Freestyle Hot Doggin' Clinic (Meet at High Camp) featuring Olympic Gold Medalist Jonny Moseley, three-time freestyle ballet world champion Bob Howard, two-time Olympic Medalist for freestyle demonstrations Lane Spina and National Ski Team member and World Cup freestyle Thom Brisson.
12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Retro Pool Party at High Camp Hot Tub with DJ Zeb
2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Live Music by The Nibblers at the KT Base Bar

For those looking to get out there and enjoy the amazing spring conditions, all of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows’ 2012-13 season passes offer free skiing and riding at both resorts starting now through the end of the season. Tahoe Super Passes are on sale now starting at $429 ($399 for renewals).

Both Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows are scheduled to remain open daily for skiing and riding through April 29, and Alpine Meadows is also slated to stay open Friday through Sunday through May 13. 

Rockport launches truWALKzero with great stunt

Ok, call me a sucker for a good looking pair of athletic shoes. And, as always, I'm a total fan of a good marketing stunt.  That puts me right at 100% for the new truWALKzero collection from Rockport. It's priced at a suggested retail of  $120 - $140 and comes in two women's styles and two men's styles. Medium width only.

I haven't actually seen the shoe, and for all I know it could have glue sticking out of the seams and fit like a piece of cardboard. I doubt it.  Rockport is a good shoe and they've certainly put some heft into the launch. And the pictures (see bottom of article) certainly make it LOOK stylish.

Here's the pitch on the shoe itself, which took two years to develop:
..."the shoes are also infused with Rockport’s proprietary truWALK Architecture, which provides a natural full range of foot motion, from shock absorption at heel strike to forefoot flexibility during push off, courtesy of adidas adiPRENE cushioning technology. Additionally, the upper consists of a synthetic mesh that wicks away moisture to keep feet dry, and a padded collar and tongue to help prevent blisters and lace bruising...they also have an EVA outsole that helps to reduce foot fatigue for all day comfort."

A great launch
So the company went to mid-town Manhattan and had Johan Lorbeer walking in midair to show how the shoe defied gravity.

Here's the video - I give the launch A+, though I wasn't actually there so if you were and have input, add a comment:

The company explained the launch in a press release by saying, "To illustrate the ultra-lightweight quality of the shoes and to evoke how wearing the truWALKzeroshoes is like walking on air, Rockport will be working with world-renowned performance artist Johan Lorbeer (http://www.johanlorbeer.com) on April 5th to create a live installation at the corner of West 43rd Street and 6th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, highlighting the new truWALKzerofootwear. Johan’s specialty is creating gravity defying installations in public spaces: utilizing his own exclusive technology and harnesses that are hidden under clothing, Johan affixes himself and his team of actors to the walls of buildings, bridges, columns and walls, creating the optical illusion that they are literally floating in the air."

If you're curious, here's the shoe:

Rockport truWALKzero

Photo credit: 

Rockport

MapMyFITNESS reaches 8 million users

A press release came through today announcing that MapMyFITNESS, has surpassed the 8M member threshold, adding over one million new registered users in just 47 days since passing 7 million.

The company, if you don't know it, offers Web and mobile mapping apps.

“We’re thrilled about the amazing user growth we’ve seen in 2012,” said Richard Jalichandra, Chief Executive Officer. “We’re thankful to each of our members for helping us grow into the largest and fastest-growing fitness community.”

The company has been on an aggressive pace so far in 2012, launching MapMyDOGWALK for iOS, and MapMyRUN,  MapMyRIDE for Windows phone.

Good job to the team! Congrats.